Proverbs 31:8–9
Open your mouth for the voiceless and defend the afflicted and the needy
Study it word by word8Open your mouth for the mute, for the cause of all the sons of desolation.
9Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the afflicted and the needy.
In its context
6Give intoxicating drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to the bitter of soul;
7let him drink and forget his poverty, and his trouble let him not remember anymore.
…
10A woman of worth, who can find her? And her price is far beyond pearls.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack plunder.
Its words in the original
- פְּתַחpetach· open, engrave
Open; loosen, set free. In another form, engrave (cut lines in stone or metal).
- פִּיpi· mouth
Mouth. Also what someone says or commands ("by the mouth of" = by the word of); the edge of a sword; "according to".
- אִלֵּםilem· mute
Mute.
- דִּיןdin· case, judgment
Case, lawsuit: the matter brought before a judge; also its sentence; strife.
- בְּנֵיbene· son
Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).
- חֲלוֹףchalof· the destitute
Passing away; those who are left without help, the destitute.
- שְׁפָטshefat· judge
Judge: decide who is in the right and do him justice; also punish. Also rule, govern.
- צֶדֶקtsedek· righteousness, what is right
Righteousness: what is right, what is as it should be; just (weights, judgment).
- דִיןdin· judge, contend
Judge, give justice to someone; also contend, strive. In Genesis 6:3 its sense is debated: "remain" or "contend".
- עָנִיani· poor, afflicted
Poor, afflicted: one who suffers need and has no one to defend him; also humble.
- אֶבְיוֹןevyon· needy
Needy: one who depends on the help of others.